Re: orion 1st BCE generation; War Scroll

According to Dierk:
>
[. . .]
> politics: the "Endsieg"-dogma. The philosophy of the final victory seems to
> be a common dream after a fundamental military disaster to fanatics
> everywhere and at any times. Now if you please search for such a military
> disaster between 300 - 1BC, you^̉ll find only one: the victory of Pompey in
> 63 BC. That was only a simple psychological trial to date the War Scroll,
> but effective.
There was at least one more military disaster. That was the rape of
Jerusalem by Antiochus IV, and the installation of the "abomination of
desolation." In that conquest, 40,000 were carried off to other lands,
40,000 were slain--according to the Syriac Poem of the Maccabees, and
according to 2 Macc. Antiochus IV or his soldiers forced some number of
the remnant to undergo torture, when they refused to carry out
actions contrary to Jewish Law.
This seems to have been the (unnamed) military disaster that ushered in
apocalyptic visions of the end time, and eschatological portrayals of
resurrection. See George Nickelsburg's book, and his article in the ABD,
s.v. "resurrection." Thus, individual resurrection (of martyrs), as well
as resurrection of soldiers fallen in battle, represent a victory in the
world to come, qualifying as an "Endsieg."
We have more literature on this resurrection victory from the Hasmonean
period than we do from the invasion of Pompey in 63 bce, where one faction
helped Pompey, one faction fought Pompey, and one faction (Essenes?)
negotiated with Pompey. There is the possibility that (some of) the Psalms
of Solomon date from the invasion of Pompey.
>
> Dierk.
>
Sigrid Peterson University of Pennsylvania petersig@ccat.sas.upenn.edu